Jannik Sinner reached out to Flavio Cobolli with a touching three-word message after the world No. 6 retired in tears during his match at the Vienna Open. Cobolli was 2-5 down to Matteo Berrettini when he broke down sobbing during a changeover, prompting Berrettini to rush over and embrace his opponent before Cobolli left the court.
Sinner's Supportive Message
Cobolli, this year's Roland Garros runner-up, has revealed that Sinner contacted him after the match. "I got a nice message when I got hurt in Vienna, 'Ti voglio bene' he wrote," Cobolli told Corriere. Ti voglio bene translates to I love you.
While Cobolli will be the only Italian in the eight-man singles field at the ATP Finals, he knows he has Sinner's full support. "Jannik isn't in Turin, but it's as if he were. And when he gets in touch, it means a lot to me," he added.
Emotional Retirement Explained
After retiring in Vienna late last month, the 24-year-old released a statement confirming he was dealing with a minor physical problem. "Vienna, I'm sorry to leave like this. I love this tournament and was really looking forward to facing Matteo with all of you in the stands," Cobolli wrote.
"I felt something during my match the other night, but I wanted to give it a go. Today I realised I couldn't keep doing without pushing it too far, so I had to stop. Those tears weren't from pain. Just emotion, maybe a little stress, and the disappointment of having to leave the court when all I wanted was to stay out there."
Cobolli later withdrew from the Paris Masters before his opening match, saying he was still feeling some discomfort. He has now explained that things weren't as bad as they looked. "I know, the TV feared the worst, I understand. But they were emotional tears, not tears of pain. The truth is, I shouldn't have taken the court, I did it more for Matteo than for myself. I wasn't feeling well, I couldn't give anything in that match," the three-time title winner said.
ATP Finals Debut Ahead
Cobolli is set to make his ATP Finals debut next week after a stellar season that saw him reach the French Open final and crack the top 10. Sinner was forced to end his 2026 season early with a knee injury, but has still been following his countrymen's results on tour.
Cobolli has been drawn in the Ivan Lendl Group alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Frances Tiafoe. The world No. 6 will play three round-robin matches to try to advance from the group stage to the semi-finals.
